If the Sharks manage to pull out their Western
Conference Semi-Final series against the Colorado Avalanche, two players may
surface as Sharks saviors. Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle turned in heroic
performances on Tuesday night as the Sharks knocked off the Avalanche 2-1 in
overtime. Pavelski scored the game winner, but it was Boyle who set the tone on
a night where the Sharks would either tie up the series or go down 3-1 with a
loss.

48 hours after arguably the most painful moment of Boyles
professional career, the Sharks defenseman scored a goal and kept the Avalanche
forwards in check all night long.

Pavelski converted the game winner 10:24 into the 1st
overtime with a shot from the slot that found the top right corner of the
Colorado net. The scoring sequence began with the unlikeliest of Sharks leading
the charge. Defenseman Douglas Murray carried the puck across the Colorado
blueline skating toward three Avalanche defenders. Murray dropped the puck as
he bull dogged his way toward the net, allowing the trailing Pavelski to scoop
up the puck and fire a shot through traffic.

With Murray s 240
pound frame clogging the slot and Pavelski near the inside of the left circle,
Colorado goaltender Craig Anderson slid to his right to cover the near side of
the net. Pavelski elected to shoot at the far corner, and his aim was true.

For Boyle, this night was an opportunity for some redemption, and he
would deliver.

Paul Stastny put the Sharks on the power play just 35
seconds into the game for high sticking Joe Thornton. The hockey gods applied a
bit of salve to Boyles emotional scars by allowing him to score on the
ensuing power play. Boyle simply whipped a shot from the left point that
slipped past Anderson on San Jose s first shot of the game.

Pavelski and Ryane Clowe were credited with assists on the goal. That meant a
multip point night for Paelski. It was the fourth helper for Clowe in the
series. The goal also gave the Sharks their first lead to start a game in the
series.

Adam Foote took an interference penalty with 1:57 left in the
period after he bowled over Marc-Edouard Vlasic behind the Sharks net. San Jose
would not apply the same pressure they did in their first man-advantage, and as
such failed to capitalize.

Rob Blake reciprocated with his own
interference penalty 3:23 into the 2nd period, and the Avalanche would waste no
time cashing in. After Colorado won the ensuing faceoff, John-Michael Liles
pumped a shot on goal from the left point. Stastny got a stick on the shot,
bouncing it past Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov.

Joe Pavelski would
take a tripping penalty a minute later to put the avalanche right back on the
power play. With the momentum shifting in Colorado s favor, San Jose
calmed things down and killed off the penalty to keep the game tied.

Nabokov came up big on a chance by Marek Svatos in the
opening minute of the 3rd period, after the Sharks turned the puck over in
their own zone. Nabokov stood the Avalanche forward, turning aside the
point-blank chance.

Both teams would trade scoring chances midway
through the period, but both Nabokov and Anderson would deny everything that
came their way.

Making his return to the lineup after missing Game 3
with an injury, Dany Heatley was laboring on the ice but made his presence felt
with a backhanded wrap around chance with three minutes to play that was
rejected by Anderson.

The Sharks would only muster a Spartan 34 shots
on goal through regulation, but it wasnt enough to avoid a third straight
overtime game.

San Jose s defense put Nabokov in a precarious
position by allowing the Colorado forwards to drive up the gut on three
occasions early in the overtime. Nabokov was forced to snare a T.J. Galiardi
shot by pinching the puck up against his torso 5 minutes in. Nabokov took a
peek to see if the shot had slipped past him, but the game remained tied.

Heatley missed on a golden opportunity to end things two minutes later
when a rebound trickled out to the front of the crease, but the Sharks sniper
couldnt get enough leverage on his stick to sweep it into the wide open
net.

With the Avalanche buzzing in the Sharks zone, Colorado forced
the Sharks to ice the puck after a lengthy shift. Sarks head coach Todd
McLellan was forced to use his timeout in order to rest his skaters.

The tables were turned a minute later when the Avalanche iced the puck, but
rather then getting the advantage of a tired Avalanche line, the on-ice
officials allowed the arena crew to take to the ice to remove the excess ice
that accumulates during play.

That was all for naught when Murray and
Pavelski took over on the next drop of the puck.

Game
Notes:

Milan Hejduk was still feeling the affects of the injury he
sustained in Game 3 and did not play. Ryan Stoa and Kevin Porter were also
scratched due to injury. Jed Ortmeyer was a scratch for San Jose .

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